Being Helpful
by nutnatz
Summary: Sometimes help can be a good thing, sometimes it's bad. Angelina finds herself being helped in several ways. Angelina, Lee, Fred, George and some Alicia and mentions of Katie.
1. Knowing When to Accept Help

**Title:** Being Helpful  
**Characters:** Angelina Johnson, Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and mention of other minor character.  
**Summary:** Sometimes help can be a good thing, sometimes it's bad. Angelina finds herself being helped in several ways.  
**Rating**: PG13

Thanks to **leviathan0999** and **thesteppyone** for their input and betaing skills.One night while I couldn't sleep and I started to write this. I have mourned the lack of -good- stories about the twins and their friends and wanted to add my own contribution, especially as Angelina is one of my favourite minor characters (along with Bill). Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it.

Chapter 1

Knowing When to Accept Help

_Grimmauld Place, June 1997_

Angelina tapped her wand rhythmically against her palm, her lips pursed and her eyes focused on the wizard at the head of the table. A few weeks ago Hogwarts had been attacked by Death Eaters and their leader, Dumbledore, had been killed. The Order was on high-alert. Everybody else at the table was listening as the wizard at the head of the table wrapped up his report. Everybody, that was, but Angelina. All that was on her mind was the fact that the Weasley twins were missing from this meeting.

She felt a poke in her thigh from under the table and she broke out of her attempt at fake concentration. Lee sat next to her, an eyebrow raised in concern and then he looked down at her wand-tapping hand. She stopped, embarrassed, realising that for him, it was a tell-tale sign that she wasn't really paying attention. That's what you got for sitting next to a boy who had watched you develop the habit over seven years of lessons together.

He leaned in. "I'll catch you up later. It's nothing too important right now," he whispered in her ear, smiling at her knowingly. Angelina felt her face get hot and she was thankful for the fact that her complexion didn't allow a blush to really show. She had been caught in the act of ignoring Mad-Eye during an Order of the Phoenix meeting. Sometimes she had to ask herself what good she was doing there when she couldn't even pay attention. She was surrounded by these people who were obviously the best of the best, chosen by Dumbledore. Sooner or later they'd realise that she wasn't worthy to be there. She sometimes had to remind herself how she ended up here in the first place.

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_The Previous Year, 1996_

Angelina had been ecstatic in April when she had received her letter from the Harpies, inviting her to join their reserve team after she'd left Hogwarts. She had celebrated with Alicia, who had received her pre-NEWT result admission to the Healer training back in February. However, that joy had been short-lived when news of You-Know-Who appearing at the Ministry had come out. She had known, in the back of her head, that things were headed to shit with the Ministry. What with "Umbitch" and her Educational Decrees of Useless Tripe. But she had hoped that things would be normal for a while, just a little while. Was it so bad that she just wanted to play some professional Quidditch without feeling guilt about being so frivolous?

But no, even as she started training that summer, the disappearances had begun. Every day the Prophet printed news about who had gone missing this time. Where had the "Dark Mark" appeared today? Playing Quidditch had once filled her with joy, but everyday she went out on the field to practice with the girls, a deep unease filled the pitch.

It had all come-a-shambles for her that day in October she heard about Katie being cursed and rushed to St. Mungos. Alicia, whose little sister was still at Hogwarts, had appeared at the practice pitch as soon as she'd found out. Even with her pre-healer clearance, all Alicia had been able to find out was that Katie was in a coma and had been cursed that way. Angelina had felt enormously guilty. Katie had been owling her constantly over the months of training, trying to keep in contact. She had been like a little sister to Angelina over the years, and a great part of the chaser dynamic that they had shared with Alicia. Angelina had been a bit too busy to do much other than send a few short notes about how busy and tired she was. It had been a very sobering time for her as she went to visit Katie while she laid in a deep coma. It became apparent that Katie had been put under the Imperius and had almost been killed by a cursed dark object. Angelina hated the fact that this darkness had brushed something dear to her but was at a loss at what to do about it.

It wasn't until late November that she had run into Lee and she had been given the chance to do anything about the way she felt. It had been after a very dismal day at practice. She had almost wished that she hadn't signed that contract saying that she'd stay alcohol free on practice and pre-game days. She had taken a very forlorn detour to a pub near to the practice grounds to taunt herself with the lure of a good hard drink and had walked straight into the mess that was Lee Jordan's dreadlocks.

As they sidled into a booth at a nearby restaurant, they had fallen back into their old camaraderie.

"Aha, you see," Lee had smirked confidently, "I knew that all I'd have to do was to be patient and one day you'd find yourself saying yes to going on a date with me."

She had rolled her eyes. This sort of blustery flirting was part and parcel with Lee. Residue of a hard-held and stubborn crush he'd professed to have had on her while they were at school.

"I'd have to protest, Lee. I never said this was a date. Unless of course you intend to take me to someplace much more appropriate than the Holy Harpies Nest. I don't think you'd want to tarnish your reputation that much."

He had waggled his eyebrows in amusement and they'd continued their catch up with each other. Lee was now a lowly sports copy writer at the Prophet. He shared enough anecdotes about the life of a non-trepid reporter at a newspaper wholly concentrated on what they were and were not allowed to report under the new ministry. Lee had noted how things had changed a bit after Fudge left office, but it hadn't exactly become better.

"Bureaucratic dragon-dung that's what I'm telling you," Lee shook his head. "Minister Scrimgeour might not be as much as a useless prat as Fudge was, but he surely isn't in the mood to tell people the truth about this whole mess." Lee sighed. "It seems like government is deathly allergic to the truth.

"Then why work for the Prophet?" Angelina had asked. "I mean, if it's such a waste of time?"

"Lifelong dream, need for attention, my mother made me… all that rot." He had leaned back in his chair and viewed her with a quizzical expression. "What about you? I'd have thought I'd never been able to shut you up about the Harpies, and now you seem... I dunno, sort of glum about the entire thing."

Angelina had been caught unawares by this line of questioning. Was it obvious that she was disenchanted? She realised that she'd let his query lapse into a questionable silence and she tried to recover. "No, no… I love the Harpies. You know, lifelong dream and all that, although my Aunt isn't too impressed with it yet." She smiled at the thought of her Auntie Anita who had married a Muggle and gone off living cut off from the Magical world for years now. "I don't know, I guess… with everything that's been happening now and what happened to Katie, everything sort of pales in comparison. What is the point of Quidditch if people are too scared to come watch the games? How am I supposed to resist the Death Eaters if they attack at a game one day? Throw a Quaffle at them? I just feel as if I'm standing still while all the insanity happens around me. It's all useless."

She stopped when she realised that she'd been rambling to Lee. He, strangely enough, looked thoughtful. And then those words had come out of his mouth.

"Have you spoken to the Twins lately?"

She sat there and her pretty mouth twisted into a scowl. The "twins" were a sore point for her. "Oh, you can't be referring to those people we went to school with who ran off in the middle of our last year to start a joke-shop and never said goodbye and forgot I existed?"

Lee sighed. "You aren't still angry with Fred are you?"

Her expression didn't change. "Whatever would give you that idea?"

"You know, we all missed them when they left. I was their bloody best mate you know." Lee looked slightly annoyed with her.

"And they are gigantic prats who only think about themselves and would do anything just for a bleeding laugh!" she said, feeling her head throb with the feeling she always got when she thought about the Weasley twins. Really it was specifically focused on Fred Weasley, but George had done his part to earn her annoyance as well.

"I wouldn't go that far. Haven't you even seen their shop? It's doing quite well. All their work and research put to good use. They've also been finding ways to make themselves useful in other ways, as have I."

Angelina snorted. "Useful?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and made the sound with her teeth that she always had when she was annoyed and shook her head.

Lee laughed. "I swear, I've only ever seen you and my mum do that. Must be an Islander thing."

Angelina threw her napkin at him.

At that moment their food arrived and their conversation halted after that one little outburst. Angelina, recovered her napkin and dug into her food, trying to ignore the thoughts that her conversation with Lee had brought up. She finally settled on his last statement about the "Islander thing".

"Your mum's from Jamaica, if I remember correctly," She picked up the conversation as she cut through her meat. "Have you ever been?"

"Not at all. Have you ever been there?"

"Not that I know of. Just Barbados, although I was born here. I just spent most of my childhood there. I haven't been back since I was rather young."

"I was born here as well and mum's never been back since she married my dad. I suppose she thought it was better here, safer." He snorted at the irony.

Angelina smiled at him. "Well my Aunt cut herself off totally from the magical world here, and for a while that worked. I think she's always had a negative view of the way this world works, from when she was growing up. I guess after what happened to my mum, she didn't trust the government."

"I can't understand that. How can you be a witch and deny it? It's like cutting off your arms or something. It is a part of you. I'm still surprised that she let you come to Hogwarts when the letter came."

"She almost didn't. But it was my mother's wish that I have a proper magical education. That's why she sent me back here in the first place. After we lost her, I don't think my Aunt could go against it. For all her disgust with the way Purebloods treated her when she was going to Hogwarts, she never broke her wand. I just think she didn't want to have to deal with another level of prejudice towards her. My Aunt was always a little rebel."

Lee had grinned and speared a piece of fish. "So that's where you get it."

Angelina flicked him in the head with her napkin this time.

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The day after she'd met with Lee was Friday. She'd been more on the ball during practice and had done rather well. Rose, a fellow reserve chaser had teased her about it, but Angelina didn't let it get to her. It had been a one off run in with an old friend. It had been pleasant. It had therefore come as a shock when Lee was waiting outside the practice grounds for her after practice. She'd just come straight from the showers and her braids had been undone so she could wash her hair. He didn't seem recognise her with the setting sun casting deep shadows and the fact that her hair was tied down to dry naturally as she was walking to the Apparition point with Rose.

"Lee, what are you doing here?" She'd stared at him incredulously.

He'd been a bit startled by her appearance. "Oh! I knew you'd be off soon and I wanted to catch you before you ran off. I hope you don't mind."

Angelina knit her brows. "Um, that's alright." She turned to Rose, "I'll catch you next week. Have a good weekend."

"Have a fantastic weekend Angelina. Don't do anything I wouldn't do three times." Rose gave her a knowing look and continued on to the Apparition border.

Angelina rolled her eyes and turned to Lee. "She thinks we're shagging," she said demurely.

Lee broke out into a full grin, "Well… don't dissuade her too soon. It's good for my image."

"You slag!" She linked her arm with his. "So, why are you here? Two days in a row? Are you back to your old tricks of trying to seduce me or something?"

Lee looked affronted. "Who told you these were old tricks?"

She sniggered at him. "Really though, why are you here?"

Lee started walking towards the Apparition border. "I had an idea that might help with how you said you felt yesterday."

"Hmm? Really? What's that? Does it involve chocolate? Because you know… I've got to watch my figure."

"No, no chocolate, but I also like to watch your figure. Maybe we can have some type of schedule for it?"

Angelina rolled her eyes again. "You really are too much."

They reached the borderline where it was safe to Apparate from and she realised that he hadn't told her where they were going.

"Uh… Where exactly…"

"Diagon Alley, near to the Leaky Cauldron."

She looked curious. "Alright then." Then she turned on the spot and popped away. A few seconds later she was standing outside the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. She had really avoided this place since the attacks had started. It was depressing how changed the surrounding were; Closed shops, advertisements for protective amulets and Ministry declared warnings everywhere. Lee appeared next to her and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. She followed his lead and pulled her hood on as well, obscuring her face from cursory view. "Lee? Exactly what are we doing here?"

He took her arm and started walking in the direction towards Gringotts. "Just a meeting with the past."

Angelina scowled as she followed along with Lee. She was starting to get an idea what he was planning. After a few minutes walk, she could see that they were approaching a storefront that was now clearly lit up in the dusky sky. A minute later and they had come to a halt outside 'Weasleys' Wizardly Wheezes'.

"Number ninety-three, Diagon Alley," she read under her breath. She sighed, pulled back the hood of her cloak and glared at Lee. "I hope you know that I still have a good right hook."

Lee slipped his arm from her's. "Look, I'm telling you that you should talk to them… to him. This isn't the time to keep at silly arguments.

She pursed her lips and looked at the darkening sky and stepped towards the entrance, pushing the door open "Alright then, what can it hurt?"

Those proved to be somewhat fatal words as the door opened, she heard a muffled explosion, saw something headed towards her face and then, darkness.

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	2. When Helpfulness is Thwarted

**Title:** Being Helpful  
**Characters:** Angelina Johnson, Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and mention of other minor character.  
**Summary:** Sometimes help can be a good thing, sometimes it's bad. Angelina finds herself being helped in several ways.  
**Warnings:** cliches? Mild language  
**Rating**: PG13 

Chapter 2

When Helpfulness is Thwarted

_Weaselys' Wizardly Wheezes, Diagon Alley, November 1996_

"Good timing, as always, Jordan."

"Thanks, I do try."

"Next time, a bit of a heads up, you know."

Angelina groggily blinked her eyes open. Her vision was initially burry, but with each successive blink, she managed to clear it a little. After a second she mumbled, "Bloody bludger," and tried to lift her head up so she could recover a bit.

As her vision cleared she was not confronted with the sight of the stern, blonde team healer, who always dealt with the knocks and bruises they got on a daily basis. Instead she was surrounded… by two redheads and the familiar dreadlocks of Lee. None of them were looking at her, and neither of the redheads looked pleased. Lee on the other hand had a dopey grin on his face, the wanker. The events of the last half hour flooded back to her and she flopped back down to the floor, closed her eyes and sighed.

"If she wasn't so tall it would have missed her face entirely. How was I to know that someone would be walking in at the precise moment that I was demonstrating the new and improved punching telescope?"

She opened one eye and peered up at them, her head clearing suddenly. She sat up fully then and her sudden movement called their attention.

They stared at her and said nothing. She got annoyed. "What the bloody hell was THAT?"

One of the twins held a long cylindrical object towards her and she winced and protected her face with her arm.

"What are you doing pointing that at me again? I think being knocked unconscious once a day is my limit."

"Err… right, sorry about that."

She looked under her arm to see that one of them was offering her a hand. She took it and hauled herself up off the floor. As she was rising, she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflective packaging of the Weasley products. When she had fallen, her head wrap had come off and slightly damp hair had ballooned into a disturbingly curly afro. Her eye was starting to turn a dark shade of purple and she looked a right mess. She felt along the back of her head gingerly but there was no pain there. Apparently the cushion of hair had protected her head when she had fallen.

"Well done AJ. You took that punch a lot better than George did the first time. He was out for near half hour when I tried it on him." Fred smirked at her.

She scowled back and held her face gingerly. It had started to smart. She hoped that it would soon go numb. "I suppose you think that's a compliment," she muttered, looking around for her hair wrap. It was quite embarrassing having it off. Hardly anyone ever saw her hair out of braids. Why hadn't she just said sod it all and done the drying charm on her hair back in the locker room? True it made her hair look frizzy and made the braids not hold as long, but this really wasn't worth it.

Lee's hand reached into her peripheral vision, holding the scrap of fabric. He now looked genuinely contrite. She grabbed it from him and attempted to tie her hair back down again.

George offered her a pot of ointment. "This should help with the eye."

She accepted the offering and opened the pot, smearing some of the goop on her face. It tingled a bit and her eye felt suddenly cooled. She shuddered a bit at the sensation. When she looked at the shiny package reflection again, she was relieved to find that the bruise had disappeared.

'Thanks," she mumbled as she returned the pot to George's hand.

Then they stood there, staring at each other as an uncomfortable silence fell around them. It had certainly been a long time since she'd last spoken to the two redheaded pranksters. Honestly, she had wondered if she would ever see them again. They were both staring at her, George with a bemused look on his face and Fred with an unreadable blank look. Lee was the first one to break the silence.

"Now this is just silly. You haven't seen each other in ages. You must have something to talk about."

Angelina looked away from them, a bit embarrassed, and took the time to look around the shop. She and Lee had obviously arrived near closing time as the shop was empty and the outside light display was currently off. Honestly, she had expected their joke shop to be a hit, but she was impressed by the enormity of the project. It wasn't just some sad little store, but bursting and filled with clever little oddities and witty, colourful signs advertising their latest products.

Fred cleared his throat. "So, how do you like the place?"

Angelina wandered over to the sign that advertised the 'Pygmy Puffs' and looked down into the enclosure that housed the tiny balls of colourful fur. She turned back to look at the three boys… no men, staring back at her. The Twins were both wearing magenta robes that clashed horribly with their hair that had some sort of triple W insignia on it. Lee was looking rather anxiously back and forth between them as if willing them to act like more than distant acquaintances.

"It's rather brilliant actually. Not that I think you are surprised by that."

George gave her a wide grin. "Yes, we've had similar responses from others." He put the ointment down on the counter and the curtain leading into a back room pulled apart and a young blonde witch in magenta robes matching the twins' own stepped out into the main shop.

"I've finished restocking Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley."

It was as if the little spell that had made her forget that she was still in the real world had been lifted. Angelina turned to face the Pygmy Puffs again.

"Oh, thanks Verity. Are you in tomorrow?" one of them asked.

"Ah, no sir. It's my day off, remember, every 3rd Saturday in the month."

"Well, we'll see you on Monday then."

"Will do." There was a pause. "Er, sirs? Is she alright? I mean, she did take quite a punch from that telescope as far as I saw."

A throat cleared nervously. "Ah, yes, she'll be fine. She's tough girl. She's taken much worse than a punching telescope to the face and come out fine."

She only turned around again when she heard the storefront door open and close again. She didn't even know exactly what she was doing here. She walked over to Lee and linked her arm with his, needing to feel a little more stable. Lee looked at her and smiled.

"Now really Lee, what are you two doing here? It can't just be a friendly visit." Fred started, walking around the counter to the other side of the register. He started to prepare what were obviously the day's sales for counting.

"Ech… you've got me Fred. Obviously I can't bring old friends round to visit without being completely suspicious. It's not like you haven't known each other for years already." Lee started sarcastically, slipping his arm from hers and leaning against the counter. Angelina shook her head in disbelief and looked around for somewhere to sit. She spied some boxes off to a side and pulled one over to sit on. She sat, elbows resting against her knees and her chin propped up by her elbows, watching the exchange between Lee and his best friends.

George had wandered over near to where she was sitting and replaced a set of boxes into a shelf. "Don't be a prat, Lee. Something has got to be up for Angelina to let you drag her here without fuss. I don't see a black eye on you anywhere."

At this, Angelina had to interject. "Excuse me?"

George snorted. "Well you are a bit of a bully."

Angelina's eyes went wide and she stood up from the box. " ME! A BULLY? Pot calling cauldron black? What is this? Weasleys' World of Denial?" With that she walked over and stood in front of him with her arms crossed and glaring down at him.

George laughed. "Talk about denial. Do you see this? She's trying to intimidate me as usual."

A low growl emanated from Angelina's throat. She looked fit to kill him. She hadn't even noticed that Fred had come up behind her until she felt his hand on her shoulder. Immediately her body reacted and she jerked her shoulder away from him, stepping away from the two of them, looking very confused.

"Lee, I don't know why you brought me here. It's obvious that they don't want me here, and honestly, I can't tell you why you'd think they'd want to see me. I'm just going to go."

Lee had watched the scene unfold in front of him and finally he shook his head and sighed. "You three are just too stubborn for your own good, you know that? I mean. You used to be friends. I still don't really understand what really happened between you. What? Did you all shag each other and regret it or something? Please tell me this isn't something as stupid as that because honestly, regretting a good shag is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!"

George snorted. "Does your mind always turn to sex, Jordan?"

Lee shrugged. "What can I say, I'm seventeen. I think about sex roughly 59 times a minute, and seeing as you are the same age as me, I'd suspect that you did as well." He pulled himself to sit on top of the counter, leaned back on his hands and let his legs swing down in front of him. "Well? Are you just going to continue being prats to each other?"

Angelina hadn't moved from the spot. She was staring at Fred.

Fred on the other hand was looking everywhere but at her.

She stepped forward and reached out towards him, a little timidly and very unlike herself. Angelina Johnson was not known for her emotional openness.

And at last he looked at her.

And just like that, she had forgiven him.

She spoke up suddenly. "It hurt when you left without saying goodbye."

Fred's jaw was still set, but he kept meeting her gaze. "Yeah well, it hurt when you told me you didn't want to marry me."

And with that, George scowled at them and Lee fell off the countertop.

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	3. When Helpfulness Attacks

**Title:** Being Helpful  
**Characters:** Angelina Johnson, Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and mention of other minor character.  
**Summary:** Sometimes help can be a good thing, sometimes it's bad. Angelina finds herself being helped in several ways.  
**Warnings:** Vague allusion to sex, Annoying pet name 

Chapter 3

When Helpfulness Attacks

_Hogwarts, April 1996_

Angelina exhaled and smiled, feeling the tension leave her body. She was laying face down and completely bare on top with the sheets loosely covering her hips. The curve of her shoulder blade began to tingle and burn a little and then seconds later the burning sensation was cooled by the application of wet lips. She shivered with pleasure.

"You'd better not leave me scarred." She murmured into the pillow.

"Have I ever left a scar before AJ?" Fred whispered into her ear and she smiled.

Fred, she'd discovered a while ago, had a bit of a thing for her back. She tended to sleep on her stomach anyway, but whenever she chanced to spend the night in his dormitory, she often awoke to his fingers tracing the line from her shoulder blades down to her spine. He said that her back was smooth and strong. Such an odd boy, her Fred was. Recently, she hadn't been spending much time with him, with NEWTS coming up and having to Captain the Quidditch team but with the Easter hols here, she'd made time for him. Last night they had celebrated her receiving her Harpies Owl. She had been thrilled.

They had awoken almost at the same time. The sun hadn't risen as yet so she still had time to sneak downstairs and back into her room before people got suspicious. It wasn't as if they were going around advertising the fact that they were together, not at all. In fact very few people knew that Angelina and Fred were as smitten with each other as they were.

Angelina sighed and pulled the sheets a bit closer as she attempted to turn over and get up, but Fred's strong arm kept her on her stomach.

"Freeeed," she moaned quietly, "I should go. I don't want to be caught by Alistair leaving his dormitory. It may be Easter Hols, but I can still get points taken and since he became the seventh year prefect he's been somewhat of a git."

"Just stay for a few more minutes. I want to hold you," he mumbled.

The pressure on her back decreased and she was able to turn onto her side and face him. His hair looked slightly brown in the muted light behind the curtains. She reached over and tousled his hair. He grinned at her and wrapped her in his strong embrace, pulling her closer to him. They were so close now that their noses were touching.

"I'm just glad the holiday is here. I don't think I can stand another day with that impossible woman glaring at me," Angelina muttered. A second later she'd lifted her head a little to kiss Fred on the tip of his rounded nose. He took advantage and started nibbling on the underside of her jaw.

She laughed. "That tickles."

Fred just kept going. Soon they were all out snogging. The sheets had slipped and Fred's hands kept wandering; over her shoulders, down her arms, linking with her fingers and clasping their hands together tightly over her head

"Oh Merlin Fred. You are trying to do me right in aren't you?" she sighed breathily as his head dropped so he could lick her clavicle. He paused for a second and grinned very mischievously up at her.

"Well I do hope that I'm doing you right. I've had lots of practice."

She snorted. "Oh you and your magical way with words," she said sarcastically.

He smirked at her and went right back to what he was doing. Eventually she got him to loosen his hold on one of her hands and she pushed his head down a little, guiding him down a bit. He cooperated for a few seconds and then he lifted his head again and grinned at her.

"Soon, we'll be able to do this without having to worry about Alistair or someone else catching us."

She rolled her eyes. "Focus, Fred, focus."

Fred snickered, "Alright you brazen hussy. I can get when I'm just the sex toy and need to shut up."

"Right, and you'd better keep that in mind. I have a short supply of patience," she teased.

But he seemed to take a renewed interest in completing his duty and for the next ten minutes, nothing was heard from him at all. Finally, she had collapsed, feeling almost boneless against the pillow, and Fred reappeared next to her.

Angelina found it hard to focus on him when he started to talk again. By the time her brain had started to listen to the signal from her ears again, Fred was muttering quietly as he nuzzled her ear.

She managed to catch a, "Merlin I adore you," and a "You are so gorgeous when you lose control like that," before Fred had moved his body to hover over her own and he looked down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "You do realise how mad I am about you, don't you AJ?"

She smiled at him with a dazed but self satisfied expression. "I have some idea. But I'm sometimes a little unsure. Maybe you should remind me."

His fingers played with the ends of her braids and he looked smug. "What if I told you that I wanted to marry you as soon as we leave this ridiculous place?"

It took a few seconds for the words to process in her head. Until it did, she had the same dazed expression on her face until it switched suddenly to confusion and then suspicion. She immediately sat up, forcing Fred to sit back in the bed. She grabbed at the sheets and pulled them up around her as if to put an immediate barrier between herself and Fred.

He laughed at the look on her face. She looked stunned. "I know it's sudden, but it makes perfect sense. George and I, well we'll be starting our shop soon. I'll have my own place, my own business. You'll be with the Harpies training… so you'll need to move out of your Aunt's. We could finally be together without you worrying about losing house points if we're caught snogging and I can help protect you." He crept towards her on his knees and reached out to touch her cheek. "I love you, Angelina Johnson. I want to be with you."

He looked so earnest. That was the thing. Fred seldom looked earnest, or powerless. And here he was, naked in front of her, literally and figuratively, and all she could think of was her own horror.

The words slipped out of her mouth before she had even thought about it. "No… no…no Fred, we can't get…." She stared at him like he was some kind of foreign monster and then just as suddenly she felt the need to flee. As quick as she could she pushed down the sheet and started to look for her clothes.

"Wh…What are you doing?" Fred watched as she scrambled over the bed looking for her clothes.

"What does it look like Fred? I'm leaving, because you have obviously lost your MIND."

"Wait a minute, do you think that I'm not serious about this?" He'd followed her to the edge of the bed where she was trying to find her knickers and failing. She gave up after a few seconds of panic and just pulled her pajama bottoms on without them.

"I don't know what you are thinking Fred. I just don't know."

"But why? I think it makes perfect sense. I love you, you love me…"

"But I'm not just going to up and get married to you Fred. We're too young… I've got the Harpies ahead of me. I don't want to have to end up constantly pregnant and watching after your babies. And that's what you want. I know you do. You want loads of kids, like your own family. What if that's not something I can do for you Fred? And WHY am I discussing this now? You should know better, it's a horrible idea!" She had pulled her top on and grabbed her wand from under the pillow.

She paused before she pulled the curtain back. Luckily the noise-dampening charm they'd cast last night usually lasted for the whole night.

"Look Fred, you know how I feel about you, but… we should talk about this after we've both had more time to think about it and are in a better frame of mind." She looked at him, pleading for him to understand and then pulled the curtain back and slipped out of his bed. As she quietly exited the seventh year boys room she thought she'd seen the curtain of George's bed rustle. But she knew she was being paranoid and quickly and quietly made her way back to her room like she had always done on so many nights before.

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These hours became some of the worst in Angelina's life. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep once she got back to her dorm room. All she could do was lay there and think, "What was he thinking asking me to marry him?"

All the reasons why this was a ridiculous idea streamed through her head. They were still young, still at school. She'd just gotten her letter from the Harpies. She knew from the statistics that few if any of the young female Quidditch players on the reserve team got married, and if they did, their careers came to a spectacular halt soon afterwards. Then there was the fact that she knew Fred wanted children someday and she wasn't very sure if she wanted children at all. They'd never really discussed it much, but Fred had always talked about how he loved being a part of a big family. And sure she thought she loved him, but what if it was just teenaged hormones and lust? Perhaps she just liked the sex and had confused it with love: that's why people always said that you should wait before having sex to make sure.

Oh, who was she kidding! It was at this point that Angelina realised that she was grasping at any available straws. In fact, the thought of emotional commitment terrified her. Her own mother's marriage to her father had been a monumental failure and her mother had sent her away at the age of 10 to the UK to be with her Aunt and to go to school. Angelina loved her Aunt, yes, but she'd never really been close to her. Her Aunt had her own family. Besides, Angelina had sort of been looking forward to her first independent adventure; being alone, doing things for herself, being responsible for herself. She could never have that with Fred around. He'd even said as much. He wanted to protect her.

She rolled over in the bed and sat up. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to get up and take a fly. It was the only thing she knew that could clear her head. As she tried to grab her broom and quietly sneak out of the dorm, Alicia's curtains pulled back and she could see the blonde head of her best mate sticking out in the soft light of dawn. Alicia rubbed her face tiredly and stuck her feet out onto the floor. "Leena, Statchu?"

"Yeah," she whispered and pointed to her broom and tried to motion to Alicia to go back to bed. However, Alicia had just realised that Angelina must have spent the night out of the dorm and had woken up considerably. The lure of girl talk and gossip always got her going. She got up from bed and started rummaging around for her own broom and flying gear. At that point, Angelina remembered that she wasn't wearing knickers and had to make a slight addition to her own clothing. The sight of Angelina dragging on a pair of knickers made Alicia giggle silently and point to the door.

Soon they were headed out of the castle, very carefully. They didn't want to run into Filch. By the time they had reached the Quidditch pitch, the sun was out and the day was gorgeous. Angelina just wished that her mood could match the day, clear and simple. Alicia poked Angelina in the side and laughed at her.

"Left Fred a bit of a trophy did you?" Alicia teased as she looked over her broom and contemplated the sky.

Angelina cleared her throat. "Had to leave in a bit of a hurry and I couldn't find them."

Alicia burst out in a peal of laughter. "Oh you horrible slag."

"Not a slag if it's just one guy… especially if it's a guy who professed his intention to marry you just before you made your knicker-less getaway," she said before mounting her broom and taking off. She knew it wasn't exactly fair to spring it on Alicia like that but she really needed to say it aloud and she really needed to get into the air, right now.

It took a minute, but Alicia soon caught up to her in the sky. Angelina could tell that she was confused and wanted to know more. However, Angelina was in the mood to fly and that's what they did; twisting, twirling, making formations, seeing how fast she could get from the rings on one side to the other. A half hour had passed before she decided to land. Alicia was already on the ground, looking up at her from her seat on the grass as she landed.

Angelina sat down next to her friend panting from the rush she'd experienced hurtling towards the ground and pulling up just in time; a mild modification of the Wronski feint. She wasn't a seeker, but she knew that finesse and strategy was a part of the parcel in becoming a professional Quidditch player.

Alicia didn't say anything, just waited for her to start talking.

"He's obviously out of his pod."

"Really?" Alicia looked bemused.

"Yes, obviously he's gone completely thick."

"Really?"

Angelina glared at Alicia. "What?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that he just asked because he's bonkers about you?"

Angelina hmphed. "Being utterly mad about someone doesn't mean you should get married to them. In fact, that's exactly the reason you should slow down and think carefully about it. We aren't even out of school yet Alicia… and what about the Harpies? What if he wants kids? Loads of kids? What if I'm a horrible wife or a mother? I shouldn't have to be thinking about these things right now. And what about the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who? Suppose something happened and we were separated or worse? I don't think I could handle losing him like that Alicia. I'm not that strong." She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them.

"Well you do have many good points there. Did you tell him any of this?"

"Not exactly. I was sort of in shock when he asked. I think I just said no and ran screaming for the hills."

"Well that was mature of you."

Angelina threw her mitt at Alicia and then flopped back into the grass. "I need to talk to him again about this don't I?"

Alicia caught the mitt and smiled at her. "I dunno. I'm just trying to be helpful."

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It was mid-afternoon before she saw him again. He was crossing the courtyard with George and Lee and she was coming down a stairway. She saw him pause for a second and then his expression hardened and he had gone off in the other direction. She had tried to follow, but in her rush, had ended up running into a similarly built redhead.

"Oh, George… Sorry. Er… Do you know where Fred went?" She was looking down the corridor, biting her lip in frustration. It hadn't occurred to her that George had fallen behind with the intention of talking to her.

"Angelina?"

She blinked and turned her attention to George. "Yes."

"You gave him the right answer, believe me."

She looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

George gave her an intense look. It was sort of eerie getting that look from him; a look of utter selflessness and defence for his brother's sake. Everyone said that the twins looked alike, sometimes their own mother couldn't tell them apart. But Angelina could. It was the difference in the way they looked at her. When Fred looked at her, she felt her body heat up and react to him. She wanted to go towards him and touch him. George had somewhat of an opposite effect. He felt untouchable, a bit cold and was fiercely protective of his brother. She respected George, but she felt something deeply for Fred that she really couldn't fully understand.

"He said what he did this morning in the heat of the moment Angelina. You know he did. He didn't mean what he said. You were right."

She stepped back, incredulous. "He told you?"

"Well, he didn't have to. I heard it all through the extendable ears." It was George's turn to look abashed. "I was going to play a prank on you… I didn't expect for him to say what he did. Took me by surprise, and you know that's got to be really hard to do. But I just want to say thanks for having your head on. Fred can be a bit rash at times, especially when he's excited. Sometimes we make bad decisions in the heat of the moment that we realise afterwards were stupid. I didn't want Fred to regret anything, and proposing like that would be a big regret."

Angelina didn't realise she was doing it until it happened. One second she was standing there numb, listening to George tell her that he'd invaded their privacy and that Fred had obviously made a mistake, and the next she had pulled back her fist and punched him straight in the face.

It wasn't until she was halfway back to the Gryffindor common room that she realised that her hand was bleeding.

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	4. The Results of Helpfulness

**Title:** Being Helpful  
**Characters:** Angelina Johnson, Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and mention of other minor character.  
**Summary:** Sometimes help can be a good thing, sometimes it's bad. Angelina finds herself being helped in several ways.  
**Warnings:** Vague allusion to sex, Schmoopy happy love, random plot points. muggle abuse.  
**Rating:** PG13 

Chapter 4

The Results of Helpfulness

_Weasleys' Wizardly Wheezes, November 1996_

"So that's the reason why you haven't acknowledged each other's presence over the last few months? Because Fred tried desperately to get this gorgeous girl over here to pledge herself to him forever, and she said no, because he's obviously a prat?" Lee had eventually found his way back to his seat on the counter.

Lee leaned over and smacked George, who was leaning against the counter next to Lee, arms crossed and looking somewhat put out.

"Ow, What was that for?"

"For being an interfering ninny, that's what." Lee rolled his eyes at his best friend. "In case you haven't noticed it, neither Fred, nor Angelina is 5 years old. If they were, I'd think we'd have been a whole lot more concerned about the number of times they must have shagged each other's brains out over the last few years."

George snickered. Angelina's face got hot but she just glared at Lee and Fred finally was able to come up with words. "Oi! That's enough Jordan. You really are rather rank and perverse."

Lee sighed. "It's because I'm not getting any." He leaned back against his arms again looking somewhat put out. "It's been a slow few months. Noone wants to shag a lowly sports copy-writer." He pouted.

Angelina snorted and couldn't help but glance at George, who unlike her, couldn't hide the fact that his entire face had gone red. She'd keep that one to herself for a little while. Some people just deserved to be tortured.

"So, can we just get on with the making up?" Lee sighed and stared at the two of them.

Angelina shook her head at Lee. "It's not just that easy Lee. We've all been through a lot these last few months…" she paused as she felt Fred's hand on her back. She glanced over at him. He gave her a wry smile.

"I was a bit of a prat, and overly presumptuous and I did make assumptions about your life and what was best for us. But I have missed you… and I'd like to be friends again, at least for now."

She had looked at him and honestly, she didn't even have a chance to make up her mind as Lee had jumped off the counter and dragged them, himself and George into a tight group hug.

Lee beamed at them all. "Oh I love being helpful!"

Angelina wiggled her way out of the hug and huffed at Lee while trying to fix her head wrap. "Yes, we know you do. Now can you please stop trying to mess with my hair."

Fred, who now had his arm around Lee's shoulder while George was on the other side, looked at her with an amused expression. "I dunno AJ, I sorta like your hair like that. It's different…"

"Yes, but I can't fly like this. It'd get in the way." She pulled her hair back and tied it neatly under the wrap again.

She sighed. "Alright Lee, you got what you came here for, we are all good friends now. Are you happy?"

Lee gave her a meaningful look. "Oh, this wasn't why I brought you here, although I was curious." He looked back and forth between Fred and George. "I actually wanted to tell her about the team. I think she'd make a good addition… I wanted to know if you had a way of talking to him about it."

Fred's face was unreadable for a second. "I don't see why that would be a problem. We can send a message to him about it tonight."

Angelina looked confused. "The team? What's this team you are talking about?"

George grinned at her. "Oh, just the first and last line of defence for all of us in these dangerous times."

Lee thumped George on the back. "Oh you do like your spy metaphors."

"But, how can I help?" Angelina asked. "I'm just a dumb Quidditch player… I can't possibly be of any help."

"Remember when you joined the D.A. We were fighting against tyranny then. This is the same thing. AJ, we've got so much to show you and tell you about."

Angelina found herself grinning at Fred like a dumb fool. "Well, I guess there's no time like the present for you to start."

"We should head into the back where the workshop is. We can talk there." Fred held out his hand to her and without hesitation she took it. "George, can you send the message to him?"

"No problem bro."

And that said, Fred had lead Angelina through the curtain and once again she made a decision that changed her life forever.

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_Grimmauld Place, June 1997_

The meeting had finally come to an end and most of the Order members had disappeared. Angelina and Lee however had ended up in the kitchen, volunteering to clean up after the meeting. They had finished cleaning and were sitting at the table, chatting about Dumbledore and what an awesome leader he had been, and how much they'd miss him when they heard the front door open and footsteps approach the kitchen.

The identical faces of Fred and George appeared at the door and after some very quick movement and an upturned chair, the lovers were reunited and quickly disappeared from the kitchen to say "hello" much more intimately. They left Angelina and Fred in the kitchen, sniggering to themselves. The relationship between the two was actually rather new, after a bit of helpful nudging from Angelina's end.

"I swear, those two are the randiest buggers I've ever met." Fred came over to the table and sat next to her.

Angelina sighed happily. "I know. I don't feel at all guilty about not telling George that Lee has fancied him for years."

Fred smirked and ran his hand through his hair, leaning back in the chair and looking at her. "You are rather devious and might I say observant. I don't think I would have noticed it on my own. I seldom really pay attention to the details, you know."

Angelina reached over to him and took his hand. "You pay attention when it matters," and she smiled at him and then released his hand and sighed. "Although I must say, I still haven't divined what use I've been so far to the Order. It feels all so futile. Dumbledore's dead… Snape betrayed us… It's really a lot to take in."

Fred shook his head, "Dumbledore wanted you here as much as George and I. We need people like you here who can see the truth through the shite… plus, you do have a rather nice right hook, are nicely commanding and bossy, and are almost unbeatable on a broom."

She grinned at him. "That I am. But I was so distracted today when you didn't show up for the meeting. I was worried about you… and George."

"Ah, yes, we were off taking care of something at Harry's Muggle house. Mum doesn't like to leave them all alone so we drop by ever so often. This time there was a bit of an… incident…involving Harry's Uncle. Poor thing. I think he'll be purple polka-dotted for quite some time to come." Fred looked smug.

Angelina snorted. "You two are too much. One of these days you'll get yourself into a sticky situation and won't be able to find your way out. Then what will I do? After all, I do intend to wait for you forever."

Fred's expression changed immediately. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

Angelina pursed her lips. "Perhaps? What do you think I'm saying?"

Fred stood and pulled her up as well, wrapping his arms around her and looking up at her.

She petted him on his head. "My little midget."

Fred scowled. "It's not my fault you're so bloody tall." And he pulled her down into a rather chaste kiss. A few seconds later he had pulled away and started fingering the tight curls of her hair. "Have I told you how much I like that you leave it like this when you don't have practice or games?

Angelina smiled and self consciously patted her hair. "It's good to let it rest from the braids sometimes." She swayed with him and couldn't help but smile like a loon. "Can you believe we haven't done this in over a year?"

"Why did we wait so long again AJ?"

"Dunno, but this seems right doesn't it?"

"I guess it's all about the timing. You know… I somehow came into the possession of a pair of knickers. They looked familiar so I kept them"

Angelina's face looked horrified.

"Don't worry, I got the houseelves to wash them before I left Hogwarts."

She looked a little less horrified.

And he kissed her again, but this time there was nothing chaste about it.

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**The End…**


End file.
